“Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor 13:13
For many, this is understandably one of the more recited verses in scripture but as is so often the case we tend to only quote it as a standalone verse without taking in the fuller context of what the author was attempting to convey. Paul’s emphasis on love was written in the greater context of spiritual gifting and maturity in the Body of Christ. It is interesting that the apostle chose to put faith, hope, and love in the order that he did because it directs us to the growth and development of the believer into a fully mature and fully functional follower of Jesus.
We all start our walk with a measure of faith. Faith is required for the sinner to ever come into a place of believing in the completed work of Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. Faith is what brings us to the point of receiving righteousness and justification through Christ and accepting His Lordship in our lives. Faith is quite simply the basis for how the believer functions and grows throughout his or her life. Faith is the seed that takes root in Christ Jesus, is watered by His Word and cultivated by His Holy Spirit.
Hope is a natural progression beyond our faith. When hope comes into our heart it shows that we are moving beyond the simple acknowledgment that our sins are under the Blood of Jesus and growing into the realization that not only are our sins forgiven but that we were created for a purpose and assignment in the Earth and in the Kingdom of God. Hope is the anticipation of greater things, it is a quality of youth that is too often lost to the cares of life. Eternal goals replace temporal goals as hope refocuses our vision beyond the past and present and onto a future that is greater than we could ever imagine. Hope is the stem that springs up from the root of faith and presses toward the light of God’s truth and love.
Love indicates that the growth of the believer is fully maturing so that the spiritual gifts from God are used properly to advance the Kingdom. When love is the motivation for everything the believer does, unity, humility, and purity of purpose will result. Love that results from faith and hope is selfless. Love is the blossom that fully opens to the Light of God’s glory and when fully mature results in fruit that will bear the seeds of faith for the next generation.
When our prayer and worship stem from a place of love and not a place of performance, we will see the fruitful harvest that God has intended for us. Let your life be permeated with the love that can only come from faith and hope in Christ Jesus.
Heaven waits in eager anticipation of your prayers.
Daryl Thomas
